Flat mop

ABSTRACT

A flat mop ( 1 ) comprising a mop plate ( 2 ) with a cleaning side ( 3 ), onto which a mop cover ( 4 ) can be stretched. The mop plate ( 2 ) has two mop plate parts ( 5, 6 ) arranged foldably with respect to one another. The mop plate ( 2 ) is trapezoidal in shape.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a flat mop comprising a mop plate with a cleaning side, onto which a mop cover can be stretched, wherein the mop plate has two mop plate parts arranged foldably with respect to one another.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Flat mops having a mop plat that has two mop plate parts that are foldable relative to each other are generally known. The mop plate can be connected to a handle, which is usually mounted in an articulated manner on the upper side of the mop plate. For wet cleaning, mop covers, which can be soaked with a cleaning fluid, are stretched onto the mop plate. The mop covers can be fixed in place by means of pockets or positive/nonpositive fastening elements. The mop plate consists of a plastic injection-molded plate and generally has a rectangular shape. The upper side of the mop plate is formed flat and the cleaning side has a rib structure, the ribs generally being arranged relative to one another in elongated rectangles. The rib structure yields a material savings, with a simultaneously high stiffness of the mop plate.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, a general object the invention is to develop a flat mop having improved cleaning power in difficult-to-access points.

This problem is solved with the characteristics of claim 1. The subordinate claims refer to advantageous configurations.

In order to solve the problem, the mop plate is trapezoidal in form. The trapezoidal form yields two oblique-angle corners associated with the shorter of the long sides and two acute-angle corners associated with the longer of the long sides. Difficult-to-access corner areas of the floor to be cleaned can be advantageously reached and cleaned by means of the acute-angle corners. It is conceivable to arrange the ribs on the underside of the flat mop in a honeycomb shape with respect to one another. Unlike the known rib structures, the ribs are thereby not continuous but are instead arranged as segments of a honeycomb. This results in interstices that are defined by the length of the segments. These ribs form the cleaning side of the mop plate. A mop plate constructed this way is flexurally rigid, and a uniform contact with the mop cover results from the uniformly distributed ribs. This results in a uniform contact pressure of the mop cover on the floor to be cleaned and a mopping result that is made more uniform. In one advantageous configuration, the length of the ribs is selected such that five honeycomb cells can be arranged, offset to one another, across the width of the mop plate. A mop plate with a cleaning side consisting of a honeycomb-shaped rib structure can be produced particularly easily and economically with an injection molding process. The ribs can be constructed such that they thicken, viewed from the cleaning side towards the upper side of the mop plate. Thereby the mop plate can be demolded particularly easily from the injection molding tool.

The corners of the mop plate associated with the longer of the long sides can be bent. The corners accordingly have the shape of winglets. The mop covers, usually pocket-shaped, are generally stretched onto the mop plate. For this stretching, the mop plate parts are folded together and the free ends of the mop plate parts are inserted into the pockets of the mop cover. Then the mop plate parts are unfolded and locked. Due to being folded together, the free ends of the mop plate parts extend almost vertically downward, which, due to the high normal force, makes the sliding of the free ends on the mop cover in the direction of the pockets more difficult. Because of the winglets molded onto the corners, the free ends do not extend almost vertically downward with the mop plate folded up; rather, they point at least in part in the direction towards the pockets when the mop plate parts are folded. Thereby the sliding process of the mop plate parts on the mop cover, and thus the stretch-fitting of the mop cover onto the mop plate, is improved.

A retaining device can be arranged on the cleaning side. Depending on the floor to be cleaned, wet cleaning can entail high friction forces, whereby the mop cover can slip, and the mopping result deteriorates. A slippage of the mop cover, which can have a nonpositively or positively engaging functional principle, is prevented by the retaining device. This advantageous design is also conceivable for other embodiments of a mop plate that go beyond the design according to the invention.

The retaining device can have a nonpositively engaging functional principle. Nonpositively engaging retaining devices are particularly easy to realize, namely, by material that have a high coefficient of friction. The retaining device can be coplanar with the ribs, or it can project past them. It is also possible to coat the ribs with an elastomer that has a high coefficient of friction. This yields a flat, two-dimensional retaining device. In other configurations, several pin-like elevations having a material with a high coefficient of friction at their free ends can be formed on the cleaning side. In this configuration it is advantageous firstly that the retaining device prevents slippage of the mop cover, secondly, that it also prevents the mop device with the mop plate from slipping on the floor if it is set down there without a mop cover.

The retaining device can be formed by elastomeric elements. Elastomeric elements such as rubber bumps can be produced easily and economically. They can also be mounted on the mop plate by simple means such as gluing.

The mop plate parts can be connected to one another in a hinge-like manner by a locking element, a resilient body being associated with the locking element in such a manner that the mop plate parts are locked against the force of the resilient body. It is advantageous in this case that the mop plate parts can unfold when unlocked, at least to such an extent that they cannot again automatically lock. Thereby the handling of the mop plate is facilitated.

The resilient body can be formed by an elastomeric body. Resilient bodies formed from an elastomeric body are particularly robust, long-lived and economical.

The side of the mop plate facing away from the cleaning side can have an undulating structure. The strength of the mop plate in particularly stressed areas is increased by the undulating structure. In the middle area, in which the handle is connected to the mop plate, a wave trough results, whereby the handle connection, and thus the center of gravity of the mop plate as well, is situated particularly deeply

The mop plate can be divided such that two substantially equal-sized mop plate parts result. For this purpose, the mop plate parts can be arranged in an articulated manner on an intermediate piece. Due to this design, the mop plate parts can be folded mirror-symmetrically and hang downward in the folded state by the same amount, starting from the intermediate part or the articulated joint. Stretching on a mop cover is thereby simplified since the corners of the mop plate associated with the longer of the long sides simultaneously come into engagement with the pockets of the mop cover. This design is particularly advantageous in combination with the above-described bent corners that are associated with the longer of the long sides of the mop plate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some exemplary embodiments of the flat mop of the invention will be described below with reference to the figures. These show, schematically in each case:

FIG. 1 is a bottom view of an exemplary mop plate according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mop plate of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a mop plate part of the mop plate of FIG. 1 showing the locking element and resilient body.

FIG. 4 is a further embodiment of a mop plate according to the invention that includes mirror-symmetrically foldable mop plate parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows the mop plate 2 of a flat mop 1. Mop plate 2, consisting of two mop plate parts 5, 6 foldably arranged with respect to one another, has a cleaning side 3 that is formed by ribs 7. The ribs 7 are arranged in a honeycomb shape with respect to one another. A mop cover with pockets (not shown) can be stretched onto mop plate 2, the mop cover covering the cleaning side 3 and thus coming into engagement with ribs 7. Mop plate 2 has the shape of a trapezoid. A retaining device 11 consisting of four elastomer bodies made of rubber is arranged on cleaning side 3, whereby retaining device 11 has a nonpositively engaging functional principle. Mop plate 2 can be made of plastic, and can be manufactured by the injection molding method.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mop plate 1 of FIG. 1. It is shown here that the corners 9, 10 of the mop plate that are associated with the longer long side 8 are bent and thus have the shape of winglets. In addition, the side 14 of mop plate 2 that is turned away from cleaning side 3 is constructed such that an undulating structure results. The wave crests are each associated with roughly the middle of each mop plate part 5, 6, and a wave trough is associated with the middle of mop plate 2 and the corners 9, 10. A receptacle 15 for being able to connect mop plate 2 in an articulated manner to a handle is situated in the center of mop plate 2. The two mop plate parts 5, 6 are connected to one another in the manner of a hinge by a locking element 12, so that mop plate parts 5, 6 can be folded with respect to one another. Locking element 12 is mounted on a mop plate part 6 so as to move tiltably, and reaches over a section of the other mop plate part 5, and thereby prevents uncontrolled pivoting of mop plate parts 5, 6. By tilting locking element 12, the section is uncovered, and a pivoting of mop plate parts 5, 6 is thereby made possible.

FIG. 3 shows a mop plate part 6 in accordance with FIG. 1 or 2 in detail. It is shown that a resilient body 13 consisting of an elastomer body is associated with locking element 12 in such a manner that mop plate parts 5, 6 are locked against the force of resilient body 13. Two resilient bodies 13 are also arranged on mop plate part 6 in the area of locking element 12. These resilient bodies 13 consist of hemispherical rubber bodies. When mop plate parts 5, 6 are locked by locking element 12, resilient bodies 13 arranged on mop plate part 6 are compressed and resilient bodies 13 exert a force onto the other mop plate part 5. Flat mops according to the invention can include mop plate parts 5, 6 that can be connected to one another in a hinge-like manner by a locking element 12, a resilient body 13 being associated with locking element 12 in such a manner that the mop plate parts 5, 6 are locked against the force of resilient body 13.

FIG. 4 shows the mop plate 2 of a flat mop 1. Mop plate 2 consists of two mop plate parts 5, 6 that have essentially the same size with respect to their cleaning side 3. Mop plate parts 5, 6 are mounted on an intermediate piece 16 in an articulated manner, so that mop plate parts 5, 6 can be folded mirror-symmetrically. A receptacle for a handle 15 is arranged in an articulated manner centrally on intermediate piece 16. Cleaning side 3 of mop plate parts 5, 6 is formed by ribs 7, the ribs 7 being arranged in a honeycomb shape with respect to one another. Alternatively constructed cleaning sides 3, flat surfaces for example, are also conceivable with the embodiment of FIG. 4. A mop cover with pockets (not shown) can be stretched onto mop plate 2, the mop cover covering cleaning side 3 and thus coming into engagement with ribs 7. Mop plate 2 has the shape of a trapezoid, wherein the corners 9, 10 of mop plate 2 that are associated with the longer long side 8 are bent and thus have the shape of winglets. In addition, the side 14 of mop plate 2 that is turned away from cleaning side 3 is constructed such that an undulating structure results. The wave crests are each associated with roughly the middle of each mop plate part 5, 6, and a wave trough is associated with the middle of mop plate 2 and the corners 9, 10. A retaining device 11 consisting of four elastomer bodies made of rubber, is arranged on cleaning side 3, whereby retaining device 11 has a nonpositively engaging functional principle. Locking element 12 is mounted so as to move tiltably on a mop plate part 6 and reaches over a section of the other mop plate part 5, and thereby prevents uncontrolled pivoting of mop plate parts 5, 6. This section in turn also reaches across intermediate piece 16 in the closed state of mop plate 2. The section is uncovered by tilting locking element 12, and a pivoting of mop plate parts 5, 6 about intermediate part 16 is thereby made possible. Mop plate 2 can be made of plastic, and is can be made by an injection molding method. 

1-10. (canceled)
 11. A flat mop comprising a mop plate with a cleaning side onto which a mop cover can be stretched, the mop plate having two mop plate parts arranged foldably with respect to one another, wherein the mop plate is trapezoidal in shape.
 12. A flat mop according to claim 11, wherein the mop plate has a longer long side with that are bent.
 13. A flat mop according to claim 11, wherein a retaining device is arranged on the cleaning side of the mop plate.
 14. A flat mop according to claim 13, wherein the retaining device has a nonpositively engaging functional principle.
 15. A flat mop according to claim 13, wherein the retaining device is formed by elastomeric bodies.
 16. A flat mop according to claim 11, wherein the mop plate parts are connectable to one another in a hinge-like manner by a locking element, a resilient body being associated with the locking element in such a manner that the mop plate parts are locked against the force of the resilient body.
 17. A flat mop according to claim 16, wherein the resilient body is formed by an elastomeric body.
 18. A flat mop according to claim 11, wherein a side of the mop plate opposite the cleaning side has an undulating structure.
 19. A flat mop according to claim 11, wherein the two mop plates are substantially the same size.
 20. A flat mop according to claim 19, wherein the mop plate parts are arranged in an articulated manner on an intermediate piece. 